Romeo and Julio
by EdytheTL
Summary: Two young mans from the slum in the 90's, share two secrets, the first, their love for the Shakespeare's writing and the second, their love for each other.
1. Chapter 1

\- Mom, I'm going out. I will come back tonight. You want me to bring something back for the diner ? Say Romeo on the doorstep.

\- No thanks but be here before your dad please, you know he does not like to wait to eat. She said from the kitchen.

\- Yeah ... I know, bye Mom.

Without other formality, he hastily descended the dusty stairs of his building to join his friends, or just the familiar boys of his neighborhood, sit, like everyday, on the same bench, denatured by years of tag. They are noisy, like always, and Samy is the first to see him through his cloud of smoke. Pointing at him he tells him to join them and while walking more faster, Romeo makes sure that his bag is well and truly closed against his side.

\- Hey dude ! It's been days since we saw you ! We thought that you had managed to break you of this hole.

\- Not today Samy, it's already ugly enough to look to talk about it ...

\- You have definitly screw up your exam right ? Say on his turn Jellal, rolling his umpteenth cigarette.

Of course, this question triggered general hilarity but Romeo smiled in turn because he knew he had passed his exam. The only reason he did not feel anything is cause he could not leave. Not alone. Assan was the older of the three and the most discreet too and ended mockery. Romeo thanked him by a look heard.

While the conversation caught quickly the same tone as usual, an other boy output of one of faded building.

His approach was assured as always and the three boys became silent, spying his gesture.

His poorly cut fell on his face, a childish face with adult eyes, peaceful blue eyes who had the gift of calming the torpor of Romeo the few times he had thought of drowning in distress. Like him, a bag was hanging carelessly on his shoulder but unlike him he did not care.

Romeo knew his contents, the same contents of his own bag, all the wealth of their miserable life that that they had shared since the departure always silently, secretly in the very belly of their sequestrator.

Lost in his contemplation, Romeo was brought back from the worst possible way but remains silent nevertheless.

\- Yo, fucking fag ! Where are you going like this ? You're looking for your manhood, dirty queer ?! Screaming Jellal in order to challenge him more easily.

However the boy remained of marble and call him at this turn.

\- No dude, I look yours ! I bring it back to you as soon as possible I promise. You know, belittle more beautiful than either is so GAY.

It did not take more for Jellal to lose his calm and quickly he put himself in a more disturbing position. Despite the Romeo's forced indifference, he felt that the situation could quickly degenerate and had the guts to react before his friend was hurt.

\- Chill out Jellal, you know he not worth the trouble. Said Romeo, hand on the shoulder of disruptive.

\- Cut it out, I don't need you to know how much he's a piece of shit.

During this time, the boy was gone and the street being loudly again. Romeo had seen the look of his friend before he disappeared and now he knew exaclty the place where found him. It was time to leave too.

\- See ya guys, I need to go. Work. He clarified, however, at his friends who were not listening anymore.

While making sure that his bag was always with him, he left on the direction of a building a little further. Once inside, and after making sure no one followed him, he went down the stairs until ending up in the only underground car park. Head down, he went to a door condemned a priori and forced it with a shoulder blow before closing it behind him. After a few steps the dim light of a flashlight was notice to him. The boy with badly cut hair was there and smiled to him.

\- It took you a while ... But, I suppose I'm happy, you miss me.


	2. Chapter 2

\- We can know why you want to be killed ? Said Romeo, angry, throwing his bag to his feet.

This reaction surprised his friend and his smile dissapeared at his turn.

\- I don't want it. They speak to me, I answer them, simple question of politeness.

\- You know very well what I mean ! I will not always be there to protect you.

\- I did not ask you anything. I don't give a fuck of these assholes and maybe you should start doing the same thing.

A long silence settle down but during it, neither of them averted his eyes.

Romeo staring at his friend and his eyes shone of this connivance and of this willingness to challenge that he had always admired.

When to him, he was just an illusion that forced himself to be conform at his universe. A coward attitude, had told him one day his friend, but this attitude allowed him to escape the mockery, the rejection and that kind of comment in the street.

\- You know why I support these "assoholes". I don't have a choice. Answered yet Romeo.

\- We all have a choice.

\- Spare me this kind of philosophical quote ! You know perfectly is not so simple.

\- Yeah, I know ... You have finish to read "The King Henry VI" of Shakespeare ?

\- Yeah, it was really interesting but I'm really frustated of the end. All these wars, wedding, political alliance to be killed by an other pretender to the throne. A vast loop, like everytime and I'm tired of that. You ?

\- Just now. But a quote made me love this work, " A light fire is quickly stifled: if you let it, rivers can not extinguish it.", does not it speak to you ?

Romeo knew exactly what his friend thinking and bitterness invades his mouth.

\- Why you do this Julio ?

\- Do what ?

\- You like it to tell me how much it's hell here ?

\- You had succeeds your exam right ? Said Julio, more serious than ever.

\- Yeah. I'm the first of my class.

\- Why are you still there then ? If you find that it's hell here, you just have to go.

\- I can't, you kno ...

\- I know you're a fucking coward ! You're complaining about something you can solve. I know you better than anyone else and I already know that you have give as pretext money ! You have money ! You have work since your fourteen for that ! And now, the day you have been waiting for so long has arrived and you stay here ? What type of fool you are ?

Romeo never had seen him like that. And he was right about everything like always because, him, was not afraid.

\- And you, what will you do if I'm leave ?

\- I also knew that you would say that. I'm not _Marguerite_ Romeo, I don't need someone to take care of me and satisfised me. I'm not naive and gullible like _Ophelie_ , I'm not the one to be saved ! When will you undestand ?

\- You don't answer. Where, when, how we will meet each other again ? It's maybe hell here, but if I support all of that it's because of you. And I don't want to leave without you.

\- I know. But we promised ourselves. If one of us manages to leave, he must to leave.

Resigned but certain of what he should do now, he took out his notebooks and presented them to his friend. The boy took him without understanding.

\- I wrote you a poem long time ago ... When one of us should leave. I would like you to read it.

Astonished but silent, he opened the little notebook on the last page and started reading.

\- _"Be careful, here, you're not in wonderland_

 _Like all the others, I don't see anything invulnerable in you_

 _Care of yourself, drunkenness often comes with sleep_

 _And languages are loosening in the worst stir_

 _But you are fortunate, on your ignorance, on your isolation_

 _You, who suffered and who still suffers, find where love hides_

 _Search, listen and conquered in your natal idleness_

 _This heart that has been given to you and which contains the secrets of your stay"_

After the last sentence, Julio raised his head slowly.

\- I ...

\- You have nothing to say. I love you but not here, not with all this people racist, homophobic, mad around us. We can not love each other here.

Heavy tears ran down his cheeks.

\- And I regret it, if only you knew. I regret all this secrets to hide our relationship, all this pain that we have support in silent during all this years and all this stratagems so that we can be ourselves in this tiny dark room full of moisture ! I had so much beautiful project for both of us but this place took everything from me and I sorry Julio ! I'm so sorry that our love is destined for such a tragedy.

Overwrought and touch by the words of his friend, Julio took him on his arm and for the first time, had no fear of being surprised, juged or killed. He stay like that since Romeo being calm again, the silence being broken only by his tears. A multitude thoughts crossed the boy.

He was the most reckless of the two since always, physical and moral blows he knew them better than anyone and knew how to handle them but see Romeo say aloud what he had always thought quietly, broke him definitly. He hugged his friend even stronger against him and whispered in his ear :

\- You don't have to be sorry.

And like confirmed his words he kiss him of all his passion, frustration, love to proove how much all the others were wrong and how much they're right in this tiny dark room full of moisture.

\- It looks like a bad replica of _Romeo and Juliette_ huh ... Say Romeo after his breathing be calm.

\- Yeah but I don't need balconey to say you that you are the most beautiful thing that happened to me in this fucking world.

\- I see it. He laughed.

A quick look at his watch showed him he was late for the diner.

\- I need to go.

He rose reluctantly and put away his belongings.

\- I would leave as soon as possible. Say Romeo a hand on the handle.

\- I know.

\- I could not say goodbye to you.  
\- I know.

\- I will not come back Julio.

\- I know.

Julio was broken. Completly broken by the words of his friend despite he already knews all this since a long time. But he says nothing to make things simpler.

\- You wanted to know when will we meet again ... Catches up.

He threw him an old book that appeared to be _"Venuse And Adonis"_ of Shakespeare.

\- You sould read it again. But know only that _"love is not discouraged as a coward but he often dares even more when what he is courting resists him."_

Romeo gave him a smile.

\- I would think about it.

\- And I would not give up.

\- I will wait for you then.

And Romeo close the door. Julio sighed deeply and put on his headphones. Deeply shaken he opened a random book to a random page and read.

\- _"_ _Beshrew that heart that makes my heart to groan_ _  
_ _For that deep wound it gives my friend and me!_ _  
_ _Is't not enough to torture me alone,_ _  
_ _But slave to slavery my sweet'st friend must be?_ _  
_ _Me from myself thy cruel eye hath taken,_ _  
_ _And my next self thou harder hast engrossed:_ _  
_ _Of him, myself, and thee I am forsaken;_ _  
_ _A torment thrice three-fold thus to be crossed._ _  
_ _Prison my heart in thy steel bosom's ward_ _  
_ _But then my friend's heart let my poor heart bail;_ _  
_ _Whoe'er keeps me, let my heart be his guard;_ _  
_ _Thou canst not then use rigour in my jail:_ _  
_ _And yet thou wilt; for I, being pent in thee,_ _  
_ _Perforce am thine, and all that is in me."_

He cried, loudly and long, until sleep took him.


	3. Chapter 3

It's only two day later that Julio saw him walking with backpack. It was early and unable to sleep, he was going to read on the roof of his building.

Heavy cloud made the horizon imperceptible but the sun was chasing them away, bathing the hideous faces of the buildings of its golden color and accompanying his walk. He did not stop, not even to look behind him one last time. A dead silence reigned at this moment and the wind whipped Julio's face. A last tear flows as he looks at his figure and smiling to see him leave from this disgusting and hatred place, he took for one last time a book of Shakespeare and read a poem, the one he dedicated to him.

\- _"_ _Why didst thou promise such a beauteous day,_ _  
_ _And make me travel forth without my cloak,_ _  
_ _To let base clouds o'ertake me in my way,_ _  
_ _Hiding thy bravery in their rotten smoke?_ _  
_ _'Tis not enough that through the cloud thou break,_ _  
_ _To dry the rain on my storm-beaten face,_ _  
_ _For no man well of such a salve can speak_ _  
_ _That heals the wound and cures not the disgrace:_ _  
_ _Nor can thy shame give physic to my grief;_ _  
_ _Though thou repent, yet I have still the loss:_ _  
_ _The offender's sorrow lends but weak relief_ _  
_ _To him that bears the strong offence's [cross]_ _  
_ _Ah! but those tears are pearl which thy love sheds,_ _  
_ _And they are rich and ransom all ill deeds."_

When he raised his head, Romeo had disappeared and the wind became more violent. Happier than ever despite the vast bitterness that poison his soul, Julio took a step forward near the edge and fell on the void of his beautiful distress, the one to be loved and love one person ... For eternity.


End file.
